Cassandra and Brett Berns with Keith Richards at Germano Studios in New York City, After Interviewing Him for the Film “BANG!”
Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler on the Long Island Sound in the ’60s Cassandra and Brett Berns with Keith Richards at Germano Studios in New York City, after interviewing him for the film “BANG!” 38 | MALIBU TIMES MAGAZINE | #MALIBUTIMESMAG Bang! The Untold Story of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend The late Bert Berns’ lyrics realize their father’s untold story. “The first revelation for me,” Brett said, “was how are legendary. forgotten he was ... he had really fallen into complete and utter obscurity.” BY LAURIE HARTT Bert’s widow, Ilene, a music business legend in her own right PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROXANNE MC CANN after taking over the Bang label upon Bert’s death, eventually sold the record company, leaving the publishing business in the hands of her children. It didn’t take long for Brett and Cassandra e’s the man who penned and produced some of to realize the potential of their father’s legacy. the most well-known hits of the ‘60s: “Twist and “One day,” Cassandra said, “Brett and I realized we had to Shout,” Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me,” The McCoys’ do something with this.” “Hang On Sloopy,” and Them’s “Here Comes the Bert’s work ethic certainly passed on to his children, HNight.” By all accounts, Bert Berns was one of the greatest because the two created a stage musical as well as a songwriters and music producers of all time—and also one documentary to tell their father’s story. of the most forgotten. Using their own painstaking research and Joel Selvin’s He also co-wrote “Piece of My Heart” and The 2014 biography “Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy,” and produced The Drifters’ Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues,” “Under the Boardwalk.” His music label Bang Records Brett and Cassandra holed up in their office night after night, was responsible for launching Van Morrison’s and Neil writing lines, crafting the story for the stage and bringing Diamond’s careers with early songs like “Cherry, Cherry” history back to life.
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